Occlumency The Hard Way
by Cloudborn
Summary: Harry thought that his Occlumency lessons were over when Snape kicked him out of his pensive. However soon Harry realises that Dumbledore only cares about fulfilling his goals. Both Snape and Harry are caught in his schemes with little to no way out. Will Harry and Snape learn to work together before all is lost? A Severus mentors Harry fic, 5th year, no slash. Please REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K Rowling.

A/N: Please REVIEW! Tell me what way you want the story to go, how will Snape and Harry's relationship grow? I'm looking for a beta for my story, so if anyones interested please let me know! Until I manage to find someone to beta my stories you might find some spelling mistakes/grammatical errors. If you see any just let me know and I'll fix it asap.

Warning: This chapter features some Corporal Punishment (not overly graphic) and some verbal abuse. Please avoid this fiction of either of these two things can trigger you.

* * *

Harry glared at the door leading to Professor Snape's office. Why had Dumbledore sent Harry a note saying to report to Snape's office after dinner? Surely Snape would have told Dumbledore about Harry looking in his pensive. A cold feeling crept into Harrys stomach when Harry realised that Dumbledore might be trying to make Snape resume his Occlumency lessons.

Harry had always thought that Dumbledore liked him and saw him as a grandchild, but the last few months had taught him differently; Dumbledore didn't care about Harry, he just saw him as a means to an end. What end Harry did not know quite yet but it disturbed him to think that Dumbledore had used him for years. With Dumbledore refusing to look at him, the last few months had been hard for Harry. He felt like he had been betrayed and at first he didn't know how to deal with it. Eventually sadness turned to anger and later into contempt. This was when Harry started to examine everything about himself that Dumbledore was involved in. He now knew that Dumbledore didn't really care for him, in fact Dumbledore had manipulated his whole life.

And now he was standing in front of his most hated teachers office, ordered here by Dumbledore most likely to be made to resume Occlumency lessons. A snigger crossed his face when he thought about how Snape would have reacted to being told to resume lessons with the 'Potter brat'. Well at least there was something positive about this whole situation.

Steeling himself he knocked on Snapes door and held his breath waiting for the door to open. Seconds ticked by and he started to hope that Snape was not in his office. He was about to turn around and leave when the door swung noiselessly open. Harry apprehensively took a step inside the office, the last time he was here he had had to dodge jars that were being thrown at his head. Snape had probably cooled down by now but Harry wasn't taking any chances. He edged into the office and positioned himself in front of Snapes desk.

Snape was correcting essays whilst Harry stood there feeling more annoyed by the minute. After five minuets of standing there feeling ridiculous Harry cleared his throat while glaring at Snape. He said in a voice that he hoped sounded self-assured "I'm here sir". Snapes eyes bored into him as he put his quill down and examined Harry as if he was an insect.

A clock on the wall chimed and a feral grin split the Potion Masters face. "Well Mr. Potter it seams that you are very eager for my company tonight, you even arrived before the scheduled time, how very endearing."

Harry glared at Snape but refused to be baited, having jars thrown at his head once was enough thank you very much.

Snape sensing that Harry was not going to rise to the bait this time quickly moved on to the matter at hand, he didn't want the Potter brat to take up to much of his evening.

"Mr. Potter when you were last in this office you had the audacity to look through my personal belongings and invade my privacy. If I had it my way you would have been expelled, however since you are Headmaster Dumbledore's golden boy you keep breaking the rules and escaping punishment."

Harry opened his mouth to argue that he was in fact not Dumbledore's golden boy but Snape gave him such a menacing glare that he quickly shut his mouth.

"If you thought that your invasion of my privacy will not go unpunished Mr. Potter you thought wrong. The headmaster has ordered me to resume your Occlumency lessons Potter, however that will not happen until you have given me your most embarrassing memory to counterweight the one that you saw in my pensive."

Harry was horrified, his most embarrassing memory? He tried to think about what that could be, probably something to do with the Dursley's. Harrys face grew red when he thought about how his uncle had caught him flipping through an illicit magazine during the last summer holiday. It had been both embarrassing and painful, there was no way that he wanted Snape to see that memory!

Harry didn't even want these Occlumency lessons to start with, all Snape did was rape his mind. No, it was best to just give Snape an apology and then refuse to give him the memory. It wasn't as if Snape could force him to share the memory...right?

"Professor Snape, I am very sorry for invading your privacy. When I entered your pensive I did not realize you had stored your own memories there. I thought I would be able to find some information on Voldemort. However I now realize that it was extremely wrong of me and I apologize."

Harry dared a glance at Snape to see how he had taken the apology. Snape was looking at him with a look that was hard to decipher. Sweat started to run down Harry's back the longer Snape just sat there looking at him, maybe Snape wouldn't accept his apology? Well at least he had tried.

Snape seemed to come to some conclusion and stood up from his desk. "Mr. Potter, that was one of poorest apologies I have ever heard, however I feel that it was genuine and therefore I accept it. Now if you would please think of your most embarrassing memory and despite it into the pensieve."

"About that Professor… I'm not going to give you my memory. I understand that you feel that we have to be on an even footing, but I don't really want these Occlumency lessons anyway."

Snapes face had grown darker and darker as Harry spoke, Harry was quite scared at this point. "Mr. Potter, I don't think you quite understand the situation. The headmaster has ordered me to resume lessons with you, he agreed to this memory exchange as a way to even the playing field. If it was up to myself I would not waste my precious free time trying to drum Occlumency into your thick head but I have no say in the matter. You will give me your memory, you will take Occlumency lessons again and you will work hard at them. If you refuse I will have to inform the Headmaster and he will send you back to the Dursleys. You might not realize this but you need Occlumency for your own safety as well as the safety of others. If you are too undisciplined to learn it then the Headmaster will have no choice but to confine you to your relative's house for everyone's safety."

Harry swallowed hard, so those were his choices? Let his nasty Potions Professor see his most embarrassing memory and then be forced to have his mind raped again and again or get sent back to the Dursleys.

Harry's heart fell, he knew that he couldn't stay at the Dursley's all year around. He needed to be in the Wizarding world, he would go mad if he couldn't be at Hogwarts with his friends. At that moment in time Harry realized that he hated Dumbledore almost as much as Voldemort. His heart felt heavy as he moved slowly towards the pensive.

Harry stood silently and contemplated what memory he should put into the pensieve. He did not want to put his most embarrassing memory in there, surely he would be able to put some other memory that was embarrassing and Snape would think that Harry had obeyed his instructions? Harry eyed Snape and came to the realization that no, that would not work. Snape would probably legilimency him on the spot if he even suspected Harry of trying to present any other memory. Cringing slightly Harry concentrated on the memory he wanted and put it into the pensieve. He stepped away from the pensive feeling completely defeated. Soon Snape would know about his relatives and he would tell the whole school. Everyone would laugh at him and tell him what a freak he was. He turned around intent on not watching Snape disappearing into his memories. He startled when he felt a hand grip his shoulder tightly. Looking over his shoulder he saw Professor Snape standing there sneering down at him.

"Mr. Potter you are of course coming with me into the pensieve. You didn't think I was going to go alone did you? Come now Potter lets get this over with."

Great, it wasn't enough that Snape would see his worst memory; apparently he felt the need to embarrass Harry even further. Glaring at Snape, Harry stalked towards the pensive. He would not let Snape see how much this was going to hurt him, sure Snape would always lord above him now with the knowledge he was about to receive but Harry refused to just take it lying down. He would fight Snape every step of the way.

"Ready then?" he growled.

Snape merely lifted an eyebrow.

"After you Mr. Potter."

Harry leaned into the pensive and felt himself falling. When he landed he was standing in His bedroom in the Dursley's house.

Snape appeared beside him a few moments later. "Well Mr. Potter" he said his eyes shining with a light Harry had never seen before '"lets see what your worst memory is!"

* * *

The room was as dingy as Harry remembered it. The walls were grey and there was no carpet on the floor, just hard unforgiving concrete. The bed looked like it would fall apart as soon as someone sat on it and the closet was not in much better condition.

Harry looked over to the desk, which was covered with all of his Hogwarts school books. Parchment and quills lay scattered across the desk and there were paper balls littered across the room. The bedroom window had bars across it and the light bulb in the ceiling didn't work properly.

Harry cringed when thinking about how the room must look to his Professor. Already before the memory had even started Snape would have plenty of ammunition against him.

Harry chanced a quick look at Snape and was surprised to not be met with a gloating face. Instead Snape was looking around the room with a frown on his face. Harry snorted; Snape probably thought that Harry was spoiled rotten by his family. Well he was in for the shock of his life Harry thought grimly. It was just too bad that Harry would be completely embarrassed by the time this was all over.

Harry glared at Snape hating the man for this invasion of his privacy; he conveniently forgot that he had done the same thing to Snape.

The door opened and memory Harry entered the room, pausing to shut the door quietly behind him. Memory Harry listened intently at the door for a few seconds before crawling under his bed to retrieve what looked like a magazine.

Harry cringed and quickly moved away from Snape. This was completely embarrassing. The one time he had managed to steal a porn magazine from his cousin and it had ended up like this. Harry turned and leaned his head against the wall, he didn't need to see this memory, and he already knew that Uncle Vernon would be coming soon and that all hell would break loose.

* * *

Snape landed in the memory with a vindictive smile. At last he would right the wrongs committed to him by the Potter brat and his cursed father before him. Not that this small pleasure would make up for all the torment he had suffered at the hands of Potter Sr, but it was a start. Albus may have ordered the continuation of the Occlumency lessons but he had not denied Snape his revenge. Long had he waited for the time when he had something that he could hold over the brat's head. Snape hoped that the information he gained here would be embarrassing enough to keep the Potter brat in line until he finished Hogwarts. There would be no more late night wanderings or dangerous adventures. Potter would learn to toe the line or so god help him.

"Well Mr. Potter lets see what your most embarrassing memory is!" Snape said with a smirk that even his Slytherins would know to fear. Potter ignored him so he took a look around the room they had landed in. He had expected a massive room decorated in Gryffindor colors; instead he was looking around a threadbare room that had no decoration whatsoever.

Severus looked around with a frown. Where were the expensive muggle gadgets? Surely the brat would have a television to himself at least! Something was definitely wrong. Maybe this wasn't the brats bedroom? Yes that must be it, this was probably his cousins room. This thought made Snape glare at the Potter brat move venomously. Trust the boy to force his cousin to live in a hole like this while he got a dream bedroom! Well, he had always known the brat was spoiled but this was on a completely different level.

Snape was surprised when he saw Memory Potter walk in to the room and close the door. That was Potter?! The brat was wearing clothes that were way too big for him and looked like he had dragged them through the mud. Was Potter playing some kind of dress up game? Surely the boy would be too old for that type of thing. But then why was the boy looking like a street urchin? Something was wrong and Snape was going to get to the bottom of it.

He watched as Memory Potter got down on the floor and extracted something from under his bed. Closer inspection showed it to be a magazine with scandously-clad girls on the front.

Indignation blossomed in Snape. Not only was the brat ruining his cousins life, now he was also stealing from him! Potter really had no moral compass if he thought this was acceptable behaviour! Snape watched the brat sit down on the bed and start looking through the magazine with obvious interest. The Potter brat had bought him to a memory of himself about to do acts that nobody else should have to witness! How dare he mock me like this! Snap quickly turned and was about to deliver a blistering scolding to the brat for taking him for a fool, when he heard someone coming up the stairs. He cast a quick glance at Potter only to see him standing facing the wall as if he was trying to block everything out.

"Mr. Potter, I told you that you would be joining me in this memory and so you shall. Come here this instant!"

The boy dragged himself across the room to stand beside Snape. Did the boy think that this was some kind of picnic? They were here to even the scores in between them. Memory Harry must have heard someone coming up the stairs as he quickly sprung up off the bed and shoved the magazine under the bed. The brat beside him winced and snape cast him a quick glare.

The door to the room burst open and a huge man entered the room. Snape assumed that it was the boys Uncle. He watched fascinated as the man took a step and all the fat on his body rolled with each step the man took. It was mesmerizing to watch. There weren't many obese people in the Wizarding world since magic made Wizards and Witches metabolism work much faster than a muggles. A Wizard needed to consume a lot more calories daily than a muggle or they would experience lower magic levels and many health problems.

"Boy why havent you finished your chores? Do you think that this is some kind of hotel where you can do whatever you want?" Uncle Vernon yelled.

Memory Potter had paled dramatically when his Uncle started yelling.

Who would have thought, maybe his Uncle and Aunt actually did try to keep the boy in line Snape thought smugly. It was clear that they expected the brat to at least do some chores.

"Please Uncle I just needed to rest for abit, I promise I will go do them now."

Snape had never seen the Potter boy this cowed. Obviously his Uncle must be doing something right Snape thought gleefully.

"You needed to rest? All your Aunt and I ask is that you do your chores like a normal person! We took you in when nobody else would have you ungrateful brat! And this is how you repay us? We should have left you in an orphanage or abandoned you on some street in London!"

Snape's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe that he had heard the muggle right. Harry Potter, left in an orphanage? Abandoned on a street? What was going on? He glanced at the Potter beside him and saw that he was just watching the floor.

"Potter, what's the meaning of this? Why is your Uncle behaving this way towards you?"

The boy sneered "He has always behaved this way towards me Snape, guess you thought I was a spoilt brat huh? Well welcome to the real world Professor."

Snape grabbed the boys shirt and yanked him towards him. "You do not speak to me that way Potter, I asked you a question. I will have none of your lip do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal" the boy muttered. Snape sneered at him but let go the boy and focused back on the memory.

"Please Uncle Vernon I'll go do it now" memory Harry said as he edged around his Uncle towards the door. The big man glared at him but didn't say anything. When the boy had edged around him and was about to make his escape one of Uncle Vernon's big beefy hands shot out and grabbed his collar. Uncle Vernon pulled the boy up to his face and said in a very quiet menacing tone "Get it all done boy or you wont have any food for a week!". Memory Potter nodded sharply and darted for the door.

Snape carefully contained his reaction to this bit of news. Had the brats Uncle been serious? No meals for one week was an extremely harsh punishment. No it couldn't even rightly be called punishment, it was downright abuse! Snape told himself he would question the boy at length about his punishments at his relatives once they were done with the memory.

Uncle Vernon turned around and looked over the room, his face a mask of disgust when his eyes fell on Potters desk. It was clear to anyone observing that he did not appreciate the sight of the boys Hogwarts books. Snape filed all of this away in is head to be examined later. The boys Uncle was about to leave when he saw the magazine sticking out from underneath the bed.

Snape watched the men's turn from white to red to purple. "BOY, GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE NOW!"

At this point Snape was actually very worried about what he was about to witness. The brute had manhandled the boy just because of some missed chores and threatened the boy with no food for one week. Surely Potters Uncle would understand that the boy was a teenager.

The Potter beside him sighed heavily. Snape found this very ominous sign indeed.

Memory Potter crept back into the room cringing when he saw how enraged his uncle was. Snape couldn't help but think that if he was in the boys situation he would be cringing too.

"What is that boy?" Potters Uncle roared. Potter looked to where his Uncle was pointing and lost any color he had had.

"It's a porn magazine sir" the boy muttered in a quiet subdued voice. This proved to be the wrong thing to say. Snape watched in horror as the man cuffed the boy upside the head. Snape had always dreamed of being able to instill some discipline into the boy but not like this!

The boy beside him spoke up "You may not like me sir and I don't particularly like you either, but you're about to see exactly how I am treated. So I really hope you're happy sir."

Snape didn't know how to reply to this. Yes he had wanted to have something to hold over the brats head, but this? He wasn't quite sure if he would ever be able to blackmail the boy with something like this.

"You bring this filth into our good normal home? Is it not enough that your a freak? How dare you defile our house with this boy! I will make sure you wish you were never born boy!"

A freak? What on earth was going on?!

"Bed, Pillow, pants down, NOW BOY!"

Memory Potter looked around him like he wanted to escape but there was nowhere to go. "Please Uncle Vernon I won't do it again, I'm sorry!"

"Oh you will be sorry boy, I've been way too lenient with you. You haven't had a good thrashing for quite some time, obviously you need to be put in your place. I am not going to repeat myself again boy. Bed, Pillow, pants down now."

Snape couldn't believe what he was hearing. Potter was about to get thrashed? Never had he thought that the brats relatives were this strict with him. The Potter beside him had gone very red in his face, Snape couldn't fault him at all. Who would want their most hated teacher there watching them getting a thrashing? He certainly would not have. At that point in time Snape for the first time ever felt sympathy for the boy.

Memory Harry had slowly crossed to the bed and followed his Uncles instructions. Snape tried not to look at the exposed bottom just lying there waiting for punishment. The boys Uncle was slowly unbuckled his belt. Memory Potter on the bed flinched hard when he heard the belt sliding through the loops in his Uncles trousers.

"Please Uncle could you not use the belt please I'm very sorry! I wont do it again I promise! Please Uncle!"

"Be quiet! You will take what you have coming and you will thank me afterwards. And I better not hear any crying for you or I will doubt what you have coming."

And with those words he doubled his belt and swung it down on the boys bottom. Snape closed his eyes, he had actually not believed that the boys Uncle would go through with it. Obviously he had been very wrong. As he listened to Potters Uncle deliver the promised thrashing he suddenly wondered how much ells he had been wrong about. It was quite obvious now that Potter was not spoiled. This was infact his room, those were his clothes. How he could have miscalculated the boy so badly he didn't understand. He was a spy for Merlin's sake, it was his job to see behind the facades people put up! No he told himself, the boy is still the brat you know. Just because his Uncle gives him chores and takes his belt to him sometimes doesn't mean that he is a different person! He is still that reckless brat who charged after the Philosophers stone in his first year, Battled a thousand year old Basilisk in his second year and any number of other adventures the boy had had. Half of which Snape was sure he hadn't even heard about. Even as Snape tried telling himself that he couldn't shake the feeling that he had grievously missjudged the situation.

Snape sighed and opened his eyes. Something inside him told him that he needed to watch this happening. If he had seen it with his own eyes he couldn't deny it. Snape watched as memory Potter was struck again and again. After around 50 swings or so the boy's Uncle was clearly getting tired. Snape could see that Potter had had enough. His shoulders were shaking with the tears he was trying to keep back. He must have a high pain tolerance Snape mused. He remember how the belt felt from his own childhood and 50 was a large number.

Snape shook his head. Couldn't the boy see that maybe if he let go and cried his Uncle would stop sooner? Blast that Gryffindor bravery! He had always said it was more like Gryffindor idiocy and here was the proof!

The trashing stopped and the room was completely quiet apart from Potter's Uncle's harsh breathing. Memory Potter did not move to re clothe himself, he lay still apparently waiting for some command.

"I hope you learned your lesson boy! Trust me I have no qualms about repeating it as many times as necessary until it sinks in."

"Yes Uncle Vernon. I learnt my lesson, I'm very sorry and it wont happen again, thank you for punishing me." Memory Potter's voice was very quiet and subdued, Snape could tell that he was trying hard not to cry in front of his Uncle. The boy must have have been taught to thank his Uncle for the punishment received Snape mused. He sincerely doubted that the boy was thankful at all towards his Uncle right now.

"Your to stay in your room unless told otherwise boy. No meals for a week, and dont even try sneaking anything from the Kitchen boy or you will regret it. And if I ever come home and find your chores not done I will make today feel like a love tap. I will not stand for it boy!"

"Yes Uncle Vernon." the boy said quietly.

Wait, what?! The boy had just been thrashed for Merlin's sake! Why did the brute feel that it was acceptable to look the boy in his room and deny him food for the week? Snape could accept the trashing as a fair although harsh punishment. But denying the boy food and locking him in his room? That was going way overboard. Someone would need to make a visit to this mugle to explain how to be a decent human being!

Snape watched as Potters Uncle left the room locking the door behind him. Memory Potter listened intently for a while before he let out a choked breath. Tears started running down his face and his shoulders started shaking harder. Snape didn't know if he should look away.

The Potter besides him sighed heavily. "Well sir, now you have my most embarrassing moment. I've been trashed for a lot of things, but never before have I been caught with a porn magazine about to do something dirty." He chucked sadly "Well I hope you enjoyed this Professor, please do let the whole school know how Harry Potter got trashed for being a normal teenage boy."

"Potter do you think I am some kind of monster? This memory was meant to make up for your trip into my pensive. I trust that you have managed to keep what you saw to yourself? Just as you have hopefully respected my privacy I will now respect yours, this is between you and me, nobody else."

Before Harry managed to answer they were both thrown out of the pensive.

* * *

Harry felt his feet hit the ground but that couldn't distract him from what had just happened. Had he heard it right? Was Snape really going to keep what he saw to himself? Surely Harry must have misunderstood what Snape had said. There was no way that his greasy git of a Potion's Master was going to not tell all of his sneaky little Slytherins about what he had seen. Anger flared up inside him, how dare Snape taunt him with false promises only to turn around and stab him in the back! All through the viewing of the memory Harry had kept his emotions tightly reined in, he wouldn't let Snape know exactly how much he was hurting him.

He was surprised that Snape hadn't tried to taunt him about the situation more than he had. He had asked a few questions true but nothing that was really malicious. Snape must have been too busy mentally taking notes of how Uncle Vernon dealt with Harry. Next thing you know Snape would probably be expecting him to thank him for his punishments as well! Well he could forget it. Snape might be intimidating but he did not induce the same fear as Uncle Vernon did, not by a long shot.

I wonder if Snape is happy now, my memory was definitely more embarrassing than his. I mean really, so he had his pants exposed to half the school, big deal! At least he got to keep his pants on! Harry could just imagine how everyone would be talking about how his Uncle punished him. Well he would be damned if he was going to just take this lying down. If Snape was going to tell the school about Harry's memory then he would replicate in kind. Harry was popular, Snape wasn't. Sure there would always be students who laughed at him and would make fun of him, but the whole school hated Snape.

Smiling wickedly Harry turned to face Snape who was still standing beside the pensive with a contemplative look on his face. "Can I go now sir?" Harry asked haughtily. No way he was going to stay here any longer than necessary. His punishment had been finished and he wanted to get back to the Gryffindor common room to tell Ron and Hermione all about what a evil bat Snape was.

Snape startled at hearing Harry's voice but quickly regained his composure. A vicious glare made Harry flinch slightly, he didn't know what he had done to upset the Potion's Master but something obviously had. Harry just prayed that Snape would let him leave without taking his anger out on him.

"No Mr. Potter you may infact not leave. I think you and I have some things to discuss." This was all said in a dark ominous voice that made Harry want to run far far away. Harry however, being ever the Gryffindor did not possess an ounce of self preservation. He should have known it would end badly when he boldly told Snape "Look sir, theres nothing to discuss, I saw your memory you saw mine. And unless you want to start having a heart to heart about why you felt the need to call my mother a Mudblood I'm not really interested in having a discussion with you about my memory." Silence followed this bold pronunciation, Harry could feel Snape's eyes digging into his skull, probably frying a way into his brain. The silence grew heavier every minute and eventually Harry could not stand it anymore, he felt like he was being examined for the best possible way of being cut up into potion ingredients. Shivering slightly Harry muttered a quick apology to Snape, hoping that he would not demand more.

* * *

"Mr. Potter, if you ever talk to me like that again I will have you in detention until you graduate. I am your Professor and you will treat me with respect or you will find out exactly how creative I can be when it comes to detentions. . . Receiving a quick nod of acknowledgement from the boy he took a moment to study the boy. Potter was wearing his school robes so it was hard for Snape to tell if the boy was in need of potions to assist him with his weight. If what he had seen in the memory was true and the boy had been starved then there were serious health risks that the boy would face. Snape needed to find out if Potter needed medical attention before he did anything else.

"Mr. Potter, I am going to need you to remove your robe for me"

This statement was meet with an incredulous look from Potter. Snape sneered at him. Really what was so hard for the boy to understand?

"I am not going to ask you again Potter, take the robes off, now!" Snape smirked as he realized that this was the exact same phrase that the boys Uncle had used in Potter's memory. Potter glared at him hatefully as if he knew exactly what Snape was thinking.

Slowly the boy pulled his robe off and let it fall to the floor. Snape sneered in disgust at how casually the brat treated his school clothes. It would serve the brat right if they got damaged while lying on the floor. Maybe he could even arrange for something to happen... yes maybe a _Muller _jinx would be just the thing... teach the boy a lesson he would never forget..

An angry throat clearing brought his attention back to Potter who was standing with his arms crossed while glaring hatefully at Snape. Snape raised his eyebrows but otherwise didn't comment. Underneath his robes Potter was apparently wearing similar clothes to what he wore in his memory. Large oversized shirts and baggy trousers held up by a tatty looking belt that was wrapped around him twice. Surely the boy could have ordered himself some new clothes? He was one of the richest people in the Wizarding world for Merlin's sake! He shouldn't be walking around in rags like these. Snape inwardly sighed. This was going to make everything so much harder. He knew that the brat would protest when Snape ordered him to take off his shirt. It would probably be best to explain first before asking him to take his shirt off, he didn't want a full blown Potter tantrum after all.

"Mr. Potter, you might not be aware of this fact, but Wizards and Witches actually need to eat a lot more than muggles do. Where a normal male muggle would want to consume approximately 2000 calories a day, a male Wizard needs to consume at least 4000 to keep his magic developing. If a Wizard does not get enough calories there are several health problems that they face. Firstly their magic will not develop any further, other symptoms include stunted growth, bad eyesight and weak muscles. In the memory we just viewed your Uncle threatened to starve you for one week. This would mean that you lost out on 28,000 calories. I need to examine you to determine if you need any medical care. Judging by the symptoms you are experiencing I would say that you might need medical care urgently. So Mr. Potter if you would be so kind as to remove your shirt so I can take a look at your weight."

The boy looked dumbstruck. Obviously this was all news to him. Snape sneered, honestly did the boy never crack open a book? How could someone be so ignorant about all things magic. Even young magical children were taught the importance of proper nutrition.

The boy took a deep breath and then quickly discarded his shirt. Snape nodded approvingly and quickly set to examining the boy. What he found terrified him. The boy was not simply slightly underweight. He was 15kg underweight and had severe malnutrition. Snape raised his wand (scowling at the boy when he flinched as if he expected Snape to Crucio him) and ran a magical diagnostic test on the boy. What he found made his blood run cold. The boys magic had stopped developing at the tender age of two. How could this have happened? This was Harry Potter, the Boy-who-lived. How could Dumbledore have left him with relatives that would not feed him properly? Had he not explained to them how important nutrition was for Wizards? Snape had a sinking feeling that Dumbledore had known exactly what he was exposing Potter to.

It was clear that something would need to be done, but what? Surely Poppy would have spotted Potters severe malnutrition? Snape knew for a fact that she kept up to date files on all of the Quidditch players, not to mention the amount of time that Potter had spent in the hospital wing after his various exploits. No, Poppy definitely knew what was going on. So either she didn't want to fix the damage or she couldn't. Snape knew Poppy well, she had healed him up often when he was a student and had always been kind to him. She would never leave a student to suffer if she could help it. No, clearly Poppy was being forced by Dumbledore to ignore the boys poor condition. Snape wouldn't be surprised if there was a vow of silence involved.

He tiredly pinched the bridge of his nose. This could cause a lot of problems. If Dumbledore had gone to such lengths to keep the boy weak then he would not react well to Potter getting healthier. He could not go to Madam Pomfrey, for all he knew she might be forced to relate everything he said to Dumbledore through some vow. No, he could not risk it. Groaning inwardly at what he would have to do he began concocting a plan, he was the Head of Slytherin house after all, nobody would claim that Snape would not be able to plan himself out of a bad situation. He took a deep breath, now to explain all of this to the thick headed boy.

"Mr. Potter..."

* * *

This chapter was difficult for me to write as I wanted to find the right balance for Harry's relatives. I didn't want them coming off as really abusive but at the same time I needed to give Harry a good reason for fearing to stop out of line while at his relatives. Was Vernon's punishment of Harry harsh? Yes undoubtedly. But it was nowhere near the excessively abusive behavior that he usually displays in these types of fanfics. Please REVIEW! Let me know what you guys think and give me your opinions. Should Harry and Snape get on well together or should they still hate each other but have a working relationship?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Merged the first three chapters together into one. Still looking for a beta for this fiction.

* * *

When Harry climbed through the Fat Lady's portrait that evening both Hermione and Ron rushed over to him. They both had worried faces on and Hermione was chewing her bottom lip as she tended to do when she was worried. They had been sitting together in the Great Hall when Harry received Dumbledores note telling him to report to Snape's office after dinner. Harry had told them about getting chucked out of Snape's office, but he hadn't told them why. Both of them had winced when he told them that he was being ordered by Dumbledore to talk to a (probably) still enraged Snape. Hermione had spent the rest of dinner lecturing Harry on how to give Snape a good apology.

"How did it go Harry? Did you apologize like I told you?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Oh yeah" Harry said sarcastically. "I definitely apologized, but apparently that wasn't enough. Apparently I had to be punished."

"Well what did you expect mate?" Ron said. "The man has had it out for you since first year. I dont know what you did to deserve getting kicked out of his office but obviously it was something quite bad."

Harry glared at his two friends, why did they have to talk to him as if he was some kind of idiot? Did they really think they knew the situation better than he did? Harry snorted at the thought of Ron understanding anything, he was a good friend but he didn't have two brain cells to rub together. Hermione was great but sometimes she came across too overbearing. She was great to talk to and to help him with his homework, but he always had to worry about whether she would inform the teachers about what he told her. Ever since the incident with the Firebolt he had been wary around her. Trust was not something that came easy to Harry, to many people in his life had let him down. Once he lost trust in someone it was nearly impossible for them to gain it back.

On the way up to the Gryffindor dormitory Harry had considered whether he wanted his two best friends to know about what had happened. When Snape was viewing the memory and even afterwards when they were having their 'discussion' all he had wanted to do was storm up to the Gryffindor dormitory and tell his friends all about how nasty and unfair the greasy git was. Now he wasn't so sure anymore. Snape had told him to keep his head down and not attract the wrong kind of attention. Apparently there were 'many parties involved' in his situation. Harry didn't quite understand what that meant but he was inclined to trust Snape. No matter how nasty Snape had been to Harry he had always told him the truth. That didn't mean that he had to like the situation though.

No he decided that he would keep this to himself. What Snape had told him was very frightening. Apparently his magic and stopped growing when he was just a babe. Snape had been astounded that Harry had as much magic as he did. Apparently his magic had been extremely strong for a baby. Snape had asked him many pointed questions and Harry had done the best to answer them as honestly as he could. No the Dursleys had not abused him. Yes sometimes when he was punished they would deny him food for a few days but appart from that he ate with the family normally. Snape had then gone on to ask about what a normal meal included. Harry had described what he usually ate at the Dursleys and Snape had shook his head. Apparently Harry had been eating around 1800 calories a day. Nowhere near the amount that a growing Wizard needed.

Snape had seemed relieved to hear that the starvation punishments didn't happen that often. Harry had started wondering why Snape even cared about his health. When he asked Snape he had received a blistering lecture that had left his ears ringing. Harry grimaced remembering Snape asking him if he was born without a brain. The greasy git couldn't be nice for one second could he? Harry sighed.

Snape had told him that they would have to start fixing Harry's health but they would have to do it quietly without alerting anyone to what they were doing. When Harry asked why they didn't just go to Madam Pomfrey Snape had gone still and stared at Harry with an unreadable expression.

"Mr. Potter, there is not much I can tell you right now with your Occlumency being as non-existent as it is. There are many things that you don't know and I cannot tell you them until you get a better handle on how to protect your mind. I will promise you this though Mr. Potter. If you apply yourself and learn to master Occlumency I promise to tell you most of what is going on. That does not mean that I will tell you everything. It is up to my own discretion to censor any information I believe is too sensitive for your ears. That being said, you will know more than you currently do now."

Harry groaned. Of course he wanted to know what was going on with the war and Voldemort. Everyone was treating him like a child that needed to be kept away from the stove least he burn himself. He was not a child! Why could none of the adults see that? He had been through more than most adults had in their life, where did they get off judging him to young and inexperienced to be part of the Order!? Voldemort was after him! He should be involved in all the meetings and have all the information that he needed to be able to fight Voldemort. And now Snape was dangling information in front of him and Harry knew that he was going to cave in. Snape had apparently stopped using the stick and gone for the carrot.

"So mate how many detentions did you get?" asked Ron. Harry sighed, Snape had assigned him a detention for his cheek. Harry thought that this was completely unfair but he knew better than to voice that to Snape.

"One detention tomorrow after dinner." Harry said glumly.

"What a greasy git" Ron muttered "It could have been a lot worse though mate, I'm surprised Snape let you go with just one detention."

Harry glared at Ron. It wasn't his fault but Harry couldn't help but feel resentful. He wished it had only been one detention!

"Yeah well, he will probably find something to fault me on and give me another detention." Harry said. "It's not like he has ever cared about fairness when it comes to me."

"Harry you are being unfair to Professor Snape now." Hermione said "I'm sure he will be fair with you, hes a teacher after all!"

Both Harry and Ron looked at her Incredulously. "Hermione where have you been the last 4 years?" Ron asked. "Snapes had it out for Harry from the start, there is no way that Snape is going to be fair to Harry! He hates him!"

"Yeah really Hermione, remember our first Potions class? He asked me questions that aren't taught until fourth year!" said Harry angrily. He was really getting sick of how Hermione defended all the teachers no matter how unprofessional they were. Hermione really needed to lose her devotion towards authority figures.

Harry sighed. He didn't have the energy for this anymore. His brain was overloaded with things he needed to think about. "I'm going to head to bed guys." he said. "I'm really tired and I need to start practicing clearing my mind otherwise Snape will have my head."

Hermione and Ron bade him goodnight with sympathetic looks. They both knew how hard Harry found clearing his mind.

Harry got changed into his pajamas and sat down cross legged on his bed pulling the curtains around him. When the curtains enclosed the bed he let out a deep sigh. He didn't know why but he always felt safe with his curtains drawn around him. It reminded him vaguely of something but he couldn't quite remember what.

What a week, Harry thought ruefully. First that bitch Umbridge had assigned him five detentions for 'speaking out of turn'. That was just a blatant lie, he hadn't even said anything! After the first four weeks of detention he realised that if he kept defying Umbridge he would not have a hand left at the end of the year. Since then he had kept his head down and just avoided saying anything in her class. He would not take back what he had said, Voldemort was back and the world had to know it. But he wouldn't keep putting himself in harms way just to make people see. The more detentions he got the more ridiculous it made him look to everyone. As if he was some kind of mental case who just couldn't shut up. Ron kept asking him why he had stopped telling everyone that Voldemort was back. Harry had tried to explain to him how it was just making him look bad. But Ron didn't seem to be getting it. Maybe it wasn't the Gryffindor thing to do Harry mused. Then again being a Gryffindor had got him in a lot of trouble. Looking back at all the reckless things he had done, it was amazing that he was still alive. No, from now on Harry decided that he would take a more Slytherin approach to things. He would think things through and not do anything stupid.

Harry sighed, so many thoughts were going through his mind that it would be impossible for him to relax and empty his mind. He couldn't stop wondering why Snape even cared. He had always hated Harry why change now? Not that Harry didn't think that Snape still hated him, but it seemed now that he was willing to put some effort into helping him where before he would not have cared. Maybe the memory had made Snape feel bad for Harry? But no that couldn't be. Snape hadn't said anything about the trashing he saw, something that Harry was very happy about. He didn't think he could live it down if Snape started commenting on that. No, it must be something else.

Harry tried to let go off all thoughts and just let his mind drift but stray thoughts kept popping up. This wasn't working. Why couldn't Snape elaborate on what he meant 'clear your mind'? It was impossible to think about nothing. Harry gave up, instead he let his thoughts drift to his favorite thing; flying. He loved how the sky brought out a sense of freedom in him. Flying was Harry's domain, nobody could catch him if Harry didn't want them to. It was the only time that he was truly free from all constraints of normal life and being the boy-who-lived. Nothing mattered when he was flying, it was him and his broom and the vast sky above. He could be himself and not feel like he had to put on any masks or be someone he wasn't just to give the public the Gryffindor Harry Potter that they wanted. The sky stretched out above him and he was at peace, he didn't even realize that he had fallen asleep. Harry only had pleasant dreams that night.

* * *

Harry woke up at 6am feeling refreshed. he hadn't had such a good sleep in a long time. Ron was still snoring away in his bed and Harry doubted that he would be up anytime soon. Harry stretched in his bed for a few minutes before deciding that he wanted to have a quick fly before breakfast. Snape had told him that he had to start eating much more than he currently was in order to bring his body up to an acceptable weight and to make his magic start developing again. Harry grimaced, it wasn't that he didn't enjoy eating. He enjoyed food and trying different things, but there was no way that he would be able to eat as much as Ron did. Harry had mentioned this to Snape the night before and Snape had told him that if he exercised before meals he would build up an appetite. Harry didn't mind flying more each day but he doubted that it would make him eat more.

He headed down to the Quidditch pitch and considered what he wanted to work on. Catching the snitch was never a problem for Harry, he was a natural. Born to be on a broom and soaring in the sky. What he did have trouble with however was endurance. Harry was such a good Seaker that games usually did not last very long. However there had been a few games that had been played in bad weather and catching the snitch and been almost impossible. Harry had realised that he tiered out relatively quickly in such conditions.

He wasn't quite sure what to practice in order to increase his condition. Maybe if he made some kind of obstacle course that required a lot of stamina to get through. He could fly it every morning before breakfast. He decided that this was the best idea he would probably come up with so he set out to build the course. With magic it would only take a few minutes. Harry made sure that all of the obstacles were soft so that incase he crashed in to them he would not be hurt. The obstacle course was made of stones that he had transfigured into the various obstacles he needed. His transfiguration was not good enough to make them permanent but he didn't want them to be anyway, he would transfigure them fresh each morning.

At the start of the course there was a multitude of poles that stood close together. Harry had to slalom his way in between them. This required a lot of dexterity and strength to do. After that he had created a bunch of wooden hoops that hung in the air. The hoops were positioned in such a way that each time he flew through one he would have to change direction sharply to be able to reach the next one. Once Harry had cleared all the hoops he would find himself facing five blugders that were all aiming for him. They had been quite tricky to charm but Harry had managed it in the end. The last part of the course was a simple straight track that looked innocent. However Harry had charmed large planks of wood to randomly appear in Harry's way so he would have to quickly dodge them.

Harry was quite pleased with the course. If he flew this a few times before breakfast he would definitely work up an appetite! Grinning manically Harry mounted his broom and took off.

* * *

Harry dragged himself into The Great Hall feeling like he had been beaten up by Dudley and his gang. Everything hurt. Why had he charmed five bludgers to come after him? Two would have been enough. Groaning Harry sat down at the table, promising himself that tomorrow he would charm the bludgers to be soft. Harry quickly piled his plate with food, he was ravenous! He felt like he could eat a horse without any problem. Quickly he started on his breakfast making sure that he was eating a lot of carbs and fat. Snape had said that these two micronutrients were the most important when it came to gaining weight. Harry was oblivious to the rest of The Great Hall as he wolfed down his breakfast and took a second helping. If he had been more attentive he would have seen Snape smirking at him from the head table.

Ron and Hermione entered the hall and made their way towards Harry.

"Hey mate, where were you this morning?" Ron asked. He felt peeved that Harry would just leave without telling him where he was going.

"I woke up really early Ron, so I decided to go out and fly for a bit. I made this amazing obstacle course! You will have to come try it out with me tomorrow morning. It should increase my endurance and build up my muscles." Harry said enthusiastically.

"Wow that sounds great mate, I cant wait to have a go at it!"

"I'll be doing it every morning at 6am Ron, you're welcome to join me." Harry said. Ron's enthusiasm disappeared quite quickly at hearing that. He muttered something about sleeping in when he could. Harry rolled his eyes, he should have known that Ron would not get out of bed one second before he absolutely had to.

Harry grabbed some more sausage and bacon and munched on it happily. Snape had told him that if he did exercise he needed to make sure that he ate all of the calories that he had burned whilst exercising plus the normal amount he should eat for breakfast. Harry had thought this impossible but now he realised that he could quite easily manage 4000 calories a day. He had probably eat 3000 calories just this morning!

Hermione was eyeing Harry's plate with a frown. "Harry why are you eating so much?" she asked. "Do you want to get fat?"

Harry glared at her. "I'm hungry after the flying Mionie" he said. "Why do you care anyway? It's not like I will get fat just from eating more than I usually do."

"But Harry, you know that a Wizard and Witches metabolism works slower than a muggles right? Magic makes our stomach work slower, that's why we feel much fuller all the time. If you keep eating like you are right now your stomach will not be able to keep up with the amount of food your stuffing into it."

Rage such as Harry had never felt surged through him. Hermione was outright lying to him. She was deliberately trying to make him feel self conscious so he would stop eating. She wanted him weak and vulnerable. How could he have been so stupid? Hermione had always been by his side helping him in every reckless stunt he decided to pull. She was the brains behind all of their operations. Without her they wouldn't even have tried half of the things that they had done. Harry looked at Ron only to see him nodding his head agreeing with what Hermione had said. He had never felt so betrayed before. Not even when Aunt Petunia had promised him a bicycle and then given it to Dudley instead. His friends didn't care about him, they probably never had. They wanted to manipulate him and make him weak. What had he ever done to deserve this? He always let Hermione answer questions in class even though most of the time he knew the answers. He had made Ron his best friend out of all the other students at the school and he had made sure that Ron had nothing to be jealous over.

Harry's head swam, he felt dizzy and ill. Why had his friends betrayed him like this? Had this happened recently? Had they ever been true friends? Did they have their own reasons for keeping him weak or did they do it on Dumbledore's orders? Yes Harry knew that it would be Dumbledore that was behind all of this. Dumbledore was constantly manipulating his life, as if he was just a chess piece on a board. There to be used and then discarded.

Harry told himself to calm down. He needed to think the situation through and not let his feelings make decisions for him. He knew that if he did not reign in his temper he would be shouting at his x-best friends for all of The Great Hall to hear. He could not afford to let anybody realise that he knew what they were doing. Snape had told him that if Dumbledore knew that Harry had figured out that he was being kept weak he would stop at nothing to make sure that Harry was brought back under his control. For now he would have to pretend that everything was normal.

"I'm not really worried about it Mione" Harry said. "I could do with gaining a few pounds really, but i'm trying to stay as small as possible so I can keep my position as seaker. I think today is just a one off, I'm just really hungry this morning."

He would have to start getting up at 5:30am so he had time to do the obstacle course and eat the majority of his breakfast before Ron and Hermione came down to The Great Hall. Harry was used to waking up early (courtesy of the Dursleys) so the thought of getting up so early didn't bother him. He had always slept late because he didn't want to make Ron feel left out. But now with the obstacle course he had an excellent excuse to be up early in the morning. He would not let Ron and Hermione dictate his life anymore. He would stop caring about letting Hermione answer all the questions in class, and he would do his homework to the best of his ability. If Ron was going to complain about it Harry would tell him to get a grip, it was their OWL year after all!

He had to be careful though, one wrong step and they would both know that he was on to them. The Sorting Hat had said that he would have done well in Slytherin. It was time to put that theory to the test. Harry would need to use all of the skills he possessed to avoid alerting his friends to his new found knowledge. He just hoped that Snape would be more helpful with Occlumency this time around.

"Come on guys we need to get to Herbology" Harry said whilst sliding of the bench. He shouldered his schoolbag and scanned the Head Table. His eyes locked with Snape's, and he gave a small nod. Let Snape decipher that however he wanted, thought Harry grimly. Snape only raised an eyebrow at him. Harry grinned and set out of The Great Hall. Herbology was with the Hufflepuffs which Harry was very happy about. At least he didn't have to watch his back constantly like he would have to if Gryffindor and Slytherin had herbology together.

For now he would just focus on his school work, and later that evening during his detention he would tell Snape everything that he had found out. For once in his life he would trust an adult to know what to do, even if it was a greasy git.

* * *

Classes passed quickly and Harry found a lot of amusement in watching Hermione get angrier and angrier. All of the teachers were so used to Hermione answering all of their questions that they were thrilled to see Harry raising his hand in class. Every time Harry managed to answer a question correctly Hermione would go a shade more red. Harry wondered how many questions he would have to answer before she passed out from all the blood rushing to her face. They had Charms after Herbiology and Harry had a great time showing Professor Flitwick that he understood the theory behind the _Erecto_ spell and could cast it successfully. Hermione was not pleased. After class she dragged Harry aside.

"What are you doing Harry? Since when have you known the answers to all of these questions?"

"Look Mionie, I have always known the answers but I have let you answer them because I understood that you needed the opportunity to shine and distinguish yourself as a scholar, but this is our OWL year and I've decided that I need to start buckling down on my school work. I'm not like Ron who doesn't care about getting enough OWL's to do something with his life. I really want to be an Auror so it's time to stop playing games and start taking school seriously. I'm sorry if that upsets you Hermione but I need to do what's best for myself now."

Hermione looked like someone had kicked her in the face. Tears started to glisten in her eyes. "You know how much being the best student means to me Harry!" she cried. "Why would you do this to me? I thought we were friends."

"Hermione, I'm sorry that you feel that way but if you think about it nothings changed. You have always tried to do your best. The only thing thats changed is that I'm trying my best now as well. Just because we are friends doesn't mean that I can put my life on hold for you, I hope you realise that right? You have had four years to establish yourself as the best student in the school, now you're just going to have to work harder to stay there."

"Harry you dont understand, I need this. If I'm not considered the best student then I'm nothing but a muggleborn. I have nothing to distinguish myself from the crowd. I need this Harry please don't take it away from me."

She sounded so sad and desperate that Harry's heart was melting a bit, but he told himself to stand firm. He reminded himself of what Hermione had done and was still doing to him. He would not feel bad for her, she had it coming.

"I'm sorry Hermione but I have to do whats best for me."

Hermione burst into tears and fled down the hall.

"Hermione!" Harry called out. "Where are you going? It's time for lunch!"

Hermione didn't seem to be listening though she just continued down the corridor. Harry sighed, it was going to be hard to be make everything seem like it was normal now. Maybe he shouldn't have changed things so suddenly. But no, he couldn't let people manipulate his life anymore. He was going to stand up for himself but do it in way that would attract the least attention. Harry winced, he wasn't really off to a good start.

* * *

What do you guys think? I know this chapter was a bit uneventful (we all want Snape and Harry!) but some foundation work needed to be set up in regards to Ron and Hermione. I have never liked Ron as a character as I have always believed that he stops Harry from reaching his true potential. Hermione is too obsessed with authority figures. There is no way she wouldn't sell Harry out to Dumbledore if she thought he was doing something wrong. Please REVIEW! Tell me what you like and dislike, otherwise how am I supposed to write the perfect fanfiction? :) I will be updating this quite regularly so dont worry about it being abandoned! That will never happen.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Still looking for a beta for this story. If anyone's interested please let me know.

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Hermione didn't show up for lunch. When Ron asked where she was Harry told him the truth: Hermione had gotten upset at him because he was answering all the questions in class. Ron snorted "She is too sensitive sometimes. Remember the Troll? I bet you shes gone to hide in a bathroom again." Harry silently agreed. Ron did not seem to have a need to defend Hermione, so maybe they weren't functioning as a unit. Maybe they both had their own agendas for wanting him weak.

Harry didn't manage to eat nearly as much as he should have and he could almost feel the glare that was leveled on him from the black clad Professor at the Head Table. Well it wasn't as if he could help it Harry thought angrily. Ron was sitting right next to him, most likely keeping an eye on him so he couldn't just start eating huge amounts of food. He would just have to explain this to Snape when he got to his detention and hope that Snape could figure something out.

Potions was the last class of the day and Harry dreaded it. He was quite sure that Snape would not tell everyone about the memory but even just the possibility that he might made Harry's stomach clench with worry. It wouldn't be the first time an adult had lied to him after all. Harry could just imagine the looks on the Slytherin's faces as Snape regaled them with a detailed accounting of the memory. Maybe he should just pretend to be sick and skip Potions. But no, Snape would be furious and would most likely take it out on Harry later in detention.

Hermione had still not showed up for lunch so Harry and Ron decided to headed down to Potions. Ron grumbled about not having the time to stuff his face with more food which Harry thought was ironic given how he was supposed to eat as little as possible according to Ron and Hermione. The dungeons were as dark and uninviting as ever making the hairs on the back of Harry's arms stand up. How could the Slytherin's and Hufflepuffs like living down here? It just seemed completely unnatural. The rest of the class were talking quietly outside the Potion's classroom. Everyone knew better than to make a lot of noise outside Snape's class. The Slytherins sneered at Harry as he passed but none of them seemed to want to start anything with him. Malfoy was lounging against the wall talking to Pansy Parkinson who was listening attentively to what Malfoy was saying with a lovestruck expression on her face. Harry quickly looked away from that nightmare inducing scene.

The classroom door opened quietly and the class all filed in silently together. Harry sat down in his usual seat towards the back and started unpacking his cauldron and supplies. Hermione rushed in just before Snape closed the classroom done and sat down in her usual seat next to Harry. She looked terrible, her hair was disheveled and her face looked all blotchy. Harry didn't understand how she could work herself up into such a state over something as simple as being told that she now had competition. The classroom door shut with a bang and Harry hurriedly finished setting up his cauldron and getting his quill and parchment out to take notes. He had promised he would try his best from now on, even in Potions which was his worst class by far.

Snape started the class by glaring them all to silence. "Homework on your desk, if it is not there within the next 20 seconds you will receive a failing grade." This announcement created a mad scramble as everyone dived for their bags to get their homework. Snape casually flicked his wrist and all the homework gathered itself into a pile on his desk.

"Last week we worked on the theory behind the Bulge Eye potion. You should know by know why the potion was created, what it's intended use was and how it has been used throughout history. If any of you had a brain attached to your head you would have also researched how the different ingredients interact with each other. However since you are all brainless dunderheads I doubt any of you even cracked open your books."

Hermione looked like so was ready to tell Snape then and there that she had indeed done the research. However years of experience had taught them all that Snape would not be happy if he was interrupted. Hermione's self confidence must have taken a massive hit if she was so desperate for teacher approval.

"Today you shall attempt to brew the Bulge Eye potion. You will work alone and I will have complete silence. Ingredients can be found in the storage room and instructions are on the board. Begin."

Everyone rushed towards the storage cupboard. Nobody wanted to be left with the last few ingredients since they tended to be the worst of the lot. Harry took his time picking out what he thought were the best looking ingredients before setting to work. He had never been very good at potions but that had been mainly because he never really wanted to be. Snape had ruined any enthusiasm he had for the subject the first day for Potion's class. Now however Harry was going to do his best, he would concentrate on getting the instructions right, anything Snape lectured about he would write down and he would make sure to protect his cauldron from Malfoy and his cronies. Previously Harry had not really cared when Malfoy added something to his cauldron that would ruin his potion. Now however he was adamant that nobody else would come in contact with his potion until it was finished.

After jotting the instructions on the blackboard down carefully he started working on the base for the potion. He vaguely remembered Snape lecturing about different ingredient preparation techniques back in his first year but he couldn't remember clearly what Snape had said. He had always just diced his ingredients not really caring how they turned out. He would have to look through his first year potion's book later Harry thought ruefully. Probably the rest as well since he didn't really understand much at all when it came to Potions. He told himself that he would go through each of his previous potion books and take copious notes. But for now he was going to concentrate on making this potion come out correctly.

* * *

Snape watched the class start brewing their Bulge Eye potions. It was a tricky potion that had a few steps where there could be serious accidents if the brewer wasnt paying attention or didn't know what they were doing. He would have to keep a close eye on the students to make sure that no accidents happen. His Slytherin's should not have any issues with this potion since he had instilled in them the need to do their Potion's work to a very high standard or suffer his wrath. The Gryffindors were another story though. Longbottom was a accident waiting to happen. Snape could hardly believe that they had all survived the previous four years with Longbottom in the class. Even the most simple non flammable potion seemed to go up in flames or explode around the boy. Snape did not know how the boy did it and quite frankly he did not want to know. This was their last year together as Snape was positive the boy would not pass his Potions OWL.

Weasley and Potter simply didn't care about how their Potions turned out. They had never put any effort into his class, instead choosing to waste their time talking about Quidditch. Their homework was sloppy and almost never correct and neither of the boys seemed inclined to answer any questions in class. He could have cared less about the Weasley boy but he had expected some of Lily's talent to be evident in the Potter brat. Clearly it was not to be.

Granger was just an annoying little teachers pet. Snape hated people who thought they knew more than they actually did. True Granger did know more then most of the other students but the airs she gave herself was completely ridiculous. Hogwart's education was just the basic first step all Wizards and Witches took when it came to developing their magic. University was when the real magic learning happens. Snape sneered when he thought of Granger having a panic attack because she could not take all of the courses available at University. Well she would be in for a rude awakening. Magical University wasn't about cramming your head with knowledge. Instead classes focused more on delving into ones magic and exploring its limits.

His eyes moved to rest on Potters work station, noting that the boy was just cutting his ingredients up haphazardly. Well if the boy took that little care with his potion he shouldn't be surprised when it never turned out the way he wanted it to. Watching the boy add the roughly cut up ingredients to the cauldron Snape mentally awarded the boy a zero for todays class. Granger's potion was of course perfect so he passed by her with only a sneer. Wesleys potion looked like somebody had combined phlegm with oranges. Snape quickly vanished the potion the boy could do further damage. The boy glared at him from over his empty cauldron. Snape knew that if he didn't shut the boy up the boy would start complaining about how unfair it was. Snape sneered. Life wasn't fair, the sooner these brats realised that the better.

"Mr. Weasley you will spend the remainder of the class writing 'I will not add flobberworms into a potion that uses batwings as a base.' Which is something that you should have learned your first year in this class. 200 lines Mr. Weasley before the class is over or I will assign you a detention with Mr. Filch."

The boy glared at him but quickly got his parchment and quill out. Everybody knew that Snape always kept his word. Especially when it came to punishing Gryffindors. Soon there after Longbottom managed to blow up his potion. Finigan was hurt in the blast so he ordered Longbottom to take him up to the hospital wing. The faster that boy got out of his class the better. The rest of the class went by without further disruptions. Potter's potion had turned into something that resembled cement. The boy was glaring down at his potion as if it had somehow offended him. Maybe the boy had actually been trying to make a passable potion? Doubtful.

Snape moved around the classroom looking at the different potions. His Slytherin's had managed to produce some decent results which Snape was very thankful for. Time to make an example of the Potter brat, he was getting sick and tired of the boys laziness. "Mr. Potter, what do you call this?" Snape asked in a quiet voice. He was satisfied to see that the boys hands clenched tightly before he replied "It's a Bulge Eye Potion sir."

"Mr. Potter, last I checked reading was a skill that they taught in primary school. Clearly your teachers must have given you up as a hopeless case. The instructions clearly state to cut the bat wings into even 1cm slices. Are you incapable of using the small amount of intelligence that was gifted you at birth?"

The boy glared at him resentfully. His hands were clenched at his sides presumably to stop them from shaking. It was clear that the boy was trying to reign in his temper. This puzzled snape, why would the boy be trying to keep his temper in check? He had never seemed to hesitate before when it came to talking back to Snape. Something had changed, either the brat was still labouring under the misconception that Snape would tell everyone about his memory, or he actually had decided to be more respectful to Snape. Neither option were very good in Snapes book. He didn't want the brat to start being respectful to him! No, Snape wanted to hate the boy and make sure that the boy hated him back.

"Detention Mr. Potter" Snape said with vindictive glee. He would make sure the boy hated him as much as ever. "Directly after class, skipping dinner might give you incentive to focus more attention on your studies." The brat glared at him hatefully, Snape wanted to roll his eyes at the boy. Did the boy really think that after the discussion they had had yesterday Snape would deny him food? Truly the boy must be stupid.

* * *

Why wouldn't the stupid potion turn out right? Harry had followed the instructions precisely, double and triple checking everything before he moved on to the next step. Already after the 2nd step his potion had failed to look like the instructions told him it should. He needed to figure out what he was doing wrong, he couldn't afford to be messing up potions now that he was actually trying to do them correctly. Harry stared down at his position glumly, it had turned gray and had the texture of cake mix. His spirits lifted slightly as he imagined baking a cake with the potion and presenting it to his Aunt.

A shadow fell over his desk and he looked up to see Snape standing sneering down at his cauldron. The hateful look in Snape's eye told Harry all he needed to know about the outcome of his potion.

"Mr, Potter, what do you call this?" As Snape's voice carried across the room Harry could see the Slytherins perking up with interest. They always enjoyed watching Snape tear into Harry. Well he wouldn't give them any satisfaction this time. Clenching his arms at his side to stop them from shaking he chose to answer as respectfully as he could. "It's a Bulge Eye Potion sir."

Harry watched Snape's mouth twist into a vicious sneer, now he knew he was in for it. Harry tuned out Snape's tirade as much as he possibly could. Why had he even bothered trying to be respectful to Snape? Surely if the man was going to tell everyone about how his Uncle treated him then he would have done it by now. Or maybe he was saving it for some big event, most likely in The Great Hall. Harry could just imagine Snape standing up during dinner and shouting out all Harry's secrets for everyone to hear. Closing his eyes Harry fought down a shudder that this image brought him, surely even Snape couldn't be that vindictive? The next words out of his Professor's mouth however did not reassure Harry in the least.

"Detention Mr. Potter. Directly after class, skipping dinner might give you incentive to focus more attention on your studies."

Rage surged through Harry, he couldn't believe it! Snape was the one that had told him to eat more, and now he was trying to withhold food from him? He was no better than his relatives Harry thought angrily. Both of them denied him food which they knew he needed. His relatives to punish him and Snape to obviously make a point. Now that Snape knew Harry's weaknesses he would probably stop at nothing to exploit them. Snape probably got a kick out of treating him like his relatives. Harry glared darkly at Snape, he had obviously been stupid to think that Snape might show some compassion to him. What a greasy git.

Harry didn't even hear the rest of the class file out of the classroom. He startled when the door to the classroom snapped shut. Snape was sitting at his desk looking over the homework essays on his desk. Harry didn't know what to do. Should he be respectful to Snape and hope that this was just Snape's way of reminding him off his place? Or should he be defiant and show Snape that he wouldn't let the greasy git walk all over him. He was still trying to decide when Snape's silly voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Potter! Do you intend to that there looking as stupid as a troll your whole detention? Get started scrubbing down all of the desks. Once you've done that come find my in my office and we will have dinner together. We have some things to discuss." Snape swept out of the potion's classroom leaving Harry standing there looking very confused. Snape wanted to have dinner with him? Hadent he just told the whole class that Harry was to have no dinner? And why had he only assigned Harry to scrub down all of the desks, that was hardly a proper detention.

Harry quickly set to work scrubbing the desks. He was good at cleaning, courtesy of the Dursleys. One might have thought that he would be resentful of all the cleaning his relatives forced him to do, but Harry actually enjoyed it. It had probably not always been that way, Harry doubted that he had enjoyed cleaning as a young child. During the last few years though, Harry had learned to relax and enjoy the downtime cleaning gave him. As long as he did his jobs to satisfaction his relatives would be happy and leave him alone. Jobs well done also usually meant that he would be allowed to eat with the rest of the family. Harry saw it as a way of earning his keep.

Harry quickly finished scrubbing the desks down and set about putting his supplies away. He didn't want to hurry as he was sure that Snape would accuse him of not doing the job properly and send him back to do it again. What was Snape playing at anyway? Yesterday he had been harsh but at the same time he had actually cared. Nobody else had ever mentioned his eating habits or asked him questions to find out about his welfare. It had given him a warm feeling in his chest when his Professor had taken the time yesterday to explain what was wrong with Harry and how they were going to fix it.

He finished putting everything away and hesitantly made his way towards Snape's office. He took a deep breath before he knocked on the door. The door instantly swung open and Harry entered feeling slightly cautious. He no longer expected jars to be thrown at his head but he wasn't sure what kind of situation he was walking in to. Snape was sitting at his desk furiously marking essays with red ink. As Harry watched Snape quickly wrote several comments in the margins of the essay. Harry hoped that it wasn't his essay that Snape was verbally ripping appart.

"Sit down Potter." Snape said without looking up. Harry took a seat on the chair directly in front of Snape's desk. He felt slightly self conscious as he sat there waiting for Snape to finish correcting the essay. After a few minutes Snape put down his quill and put the lid on his ink bottle.

"Potter, correct me if I'm wrong in my assumption that you thought that I was seriously going to deny you dinner." Snape said this in a voice that might have been considered cold if coming from someone else, but coming for him was downright warm. Harry fidgeted in his seat looking at his feet. What did Snape expect? Of course he had thought that he would be missing dinner. Snape had said so and everyone knew that Snape always kept his word when it came to punishments. Harry's silence seemed to be answer enough for Snape. Harry glanced at Snape and saw that a dark angry look had settled on to his face. Harry was desperately trying to figure out why Snape would be angry at him for assuming he was telling the truth about a punishment. A tense silence filled the room. Harry refused to meet Snape's eyes and just kept looking at his shoes.

A few minutes later Snape let out a tired sigh. Harry dared a glance at him and was meet by a harsh but tired glare. "Potter, did I not specifically tell you yesterday that you needed to eat more. Did I not specifically tell you that I would be helping?" Harry quickly nodded his head. Snape stood up and braced his arms against his desk leaning his face towards Harrys. "Then why you stupid imbecile of a boy did you think it would be okay to accept such an punishment! And for that matter why did you even think that I was going to follow through with it!?" Snape spat this out with such venom that Harry instinctively flinched and scooted a bit backwards in his chair. Seeing that the boy was not going to respond Snape lowered himself back into his chair with a sigh. He would have to make sure that the boy knew that he had to eat no matter what the circumstances were.

"Mr. Potter I will not repeat this to you again Make sure you memorize what I am about to say well." Harry nodded quickly, he really didn't want Snape to start on another lecture. "You're magic has been weakened by a lack of nutrition. We have established that you need to eat a lot more than you currently are to gain some weight and to give your magic the opportunity to develop again. You are to eat 3 full meals and as many snacks as you can manage each day. You must at least eat 4000 calories a day. If for whatever reason you fail to comply with this I will have the house elfs inform me and you will find yourself doing a weeks worth of detentions with Filch. You are to let nothing stop you from eating three full meals a day. If for some reason you are unable to make it to The Great Hall for dinner just call a house elf and they will get you some food. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir I understand." Harry said in a soft voice. Snape cared about him. Oh he was sure if he said that to the Potion's Master he would end up as ingredients for various potions. But it was clear from what Snape had said that he did care about Harry even if it was just a little bit. Nobody else had cared for him before. A warm feeling settled in Harry's chest as he looked at Snape. Maybe, just maybe Harry could start trusting Snape.

"Mitzy!" A house elf popped in bobbing excitedly at the prospect of being of service. "Yes Master what can I be doing for youz?" the elf asked in a squeaky voice.

"Bring me two dinner trays, starter, main and dessert." The elf clapped his hands excitedly and said "Yes Master! Mitzy shall be bringing the food right away!" and disappeared with a small pop. Snape frowned at the over excitable elf but otherwise didn't comment. He had more pressing concerns on his mind, like how to make the bloody boy appreciate how serious the situation actually was.

Two trays of laiden with food popped up on the desk. Picking up his fork and knife he indicated for Potter to do the same. He would make sure that the boy finished every bite on his plate. And then afterwards they would have a long over due discussion.

"Eat Potter, you're not leaving the room until that tray is sparkling clean."

* * *

What do you think Snape will want to discuss with Harry? Will they manage to agree or will Snape have to make sure Harry eats enough food to get healthy? Will Harry accept Snapes involvement in his life or will he resent it? Let me know where you guys want the story to go! Please REVIEW!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long! Real life has been very busy. Good news though! I've got a beta and she's going to start reading through the first few chapters sometime in the next few days. So hopefully everything will be grammatically correct soon.

I'll be going to bed now but I'll look through it tomorrow to make any corrections.

* * *

**Chapter 4: An uncomfortable discussion**

* * *

The food that Snape had ordered for Harry was amazing. Apparently the house elf's served teachers much better food then the students got. His meal consisted of a Mushroom soup, rump steak with a jacket potato and a huge chocolate brownie with ice cream on the side. Harry quickly scoffed down his starter and main but slowed down to enjoy his desert. It wasn't often that the students were served chocolate brownies so he was savoring every bite. Snape hadn't said anything whilst they were both eating so Harry used the time to think about what he wanted to mention to Snape. He knew that he had to let him know about Hermione and Ron. They could cause real problems if they kept supervising how much he was eating. Harry wasn't sure how he was going to sneak extra meals and snacks in since he was constantly in the company of Ron. It would look suspicious if he was constantly sneaking off to the kitchens, he was positive that Ron and Hermione would figure him out in no time.

The hardest thing for Harry was that he didn't even want to be friends with Ron and Hermione anymore. It was hard to believe that after four years of working together they had betrayed him in every way that mattered. Harry didn't even want to think about whether their betrayal was a new development or if they had betrayed him long ago. It would open to many wounds if he tried to analyze every interaction they had ever had. No, he had to assume that this was a recent development or he would go crazy. He had never had any friends whilst living with the Dursleys, Dudley wouldn't let him. So gaining Ron and Hermione's friendships had meant a great deal to Harry. And to now find out that those friendships might have just been a grand set up by Dumbledore made his stomach turn. No, best not to think on it.

How much should he trust Snape though? What did Snape gain by helping him? Slytherin's never did anything that did not benefit them in some way so there had to be a reason for Snape's actions. Asking the man was out though, Harry didn't want to contemplate the reaction he would get if he asked the man about his motives. Flying jars would probably be the least of his worries. No, he would have to figure it out on his own. Utilize the Slytherin traits the sorting hat had told him that he possessed.

Snape for some reason wanted Harry healthy and powerful. This worried Harry greatly. Maybe Snape was planning on using him just like Dumbledore? Well if that was the case Harry told himself he would get out as soon as he smelled even the smallest manipulation. He would not be a pawn to anybody! Right now Snape wanted to do something that benefited Harry so he would go along with it. But nothing is set in stone, he could always back out whenever he wanted.

Between spoonfuls of cake Harry contemplated the best way to breach the subject of Ron and Hermione. He knew that Snape would be livid that he had changed his behaviour so drastically. If Harry didn't need Snape's help and advice he wouldn't have touched that subject with a 5 meter long stick, but as it was he had little choice in the matter. He couldn't keep eating small meals if he wanted to fix his health and magic.

* * *

Snape watched the boy swallow his dinner in a despicable manner. The brat couldn't have done a better job at imitating the Weasley boy. At Least the boy had finished his dinner and was now slowly eating his desert as if to savour it. Snape inwardly rolled his eyes, the dramatics of teenage boys! It was clear to anyone watching that the boy was taking his time to mull over what he was going to say. Snape wondered how much information the boy would trust him with. Well it wasn't as if Snape cared about the brats sordid life, he just needed him strong and healthy. Just so the boy could fight The Dark Lord, Snape told himself. However his mind kept bringing up images of Lily and he knew that he couldn't lie to himself. He was helping the blasted boy because Lily would have been horrified at her child's physical and magical state.

Snape put aside his desert, he didn't know why the blasted elf's kept sending him them, he never ate one. He watched the boy scraping the last bits of his desert from the plate obviously trying to get the last scraps. Had the muggles taught the boy no manners?

"Potter! Stop scraping your spoon across the plate, were you never taught manners?"

The boy blushed furiously and put the plate down looking at it forlornly. Snape growled but decided that he would probably not get any answers until all the food was gone. Quickly he leaned over and pushed his dessert bowl to the boy. Glaring at the boy, daring him to comment. A smile lit up the boys face and he quickly took the proffered plate and started slowly eating the desert. Snape decided that he had wasted enough time. The boy had been fed and now he was going to get some answers.

"Potter, lets start of with something easy shall we? Why were you manhandling your ingredients in class? Surely after four years of potion's instruction you would know how to properly prepare ingredients."

The boy gaped at him. This irritated Snape to no end, did the boy not understand English? Snape was about to light into the boy when he heard the boy mumble something.

"Repeat that properly Potter! I don't have all day to sit here listening to you mumble."

"I wasnt paying attention when you taught us about how to prepare ingredients so I've just always cut them up like that. But I promise..."

"Silence Potter I don't want to hear your excuses!" Snape had to struggle to control his anger. The boy had blatantly disregarded what he had been taught! And when he had missed something in class he had not bothered to go through his textbook to find out what he had missed. He had always known the boy was arrogant to the extreme but this was on a completely new level.

If the boy had already been ignoring his lectures by the 3rd class in 1st year how many other important aspects of Potion brewing had the boy missed? Snape was positive that if he assigned the boy a test from the first year Curriculum the boy would fail it spectacularly. How was he going to even start correcting the boys lack of knowledge? Did he even want to? Why should he waste his time trying to teach the boy something when the boy obviously wasn't interested? The safety of his classroom for one. Should he even allow the brat back into class with his current level of Potion knowledge? Snape glared at the boy, such arrogance needed to be stomped out. If Potter thought he could treat him with such disrespect he would soon find out how wrong he was.

* * *

"Detention Potter. Monday through Friday at 6pm until I have decided that your Potion skills are up to par. And if you ever treat my class with such disrespect again I will make sure that you regret it with your last dying breath! Never before have I been treated with such disrespect and I will not stand for it boy!"

Harry was completely flabbergasted. How on earth had this happen? He had been about to tell Snape how he was going to go through all of his old potion books and learn everything anew. But before he had been able to get that out Snape had started yelling and handing out detentions like they were candy.

"That's not fair!" Harry shouted. "I was going to study all of my old potion books anyway! You can't just put me in a never ending detention!"

"You will address me as sir or Professor Potter! I have had it with your disrespect. Do you really think I would believe some cock and bull story you just made up to try and worm your way out of detention? No Potter! You will present yourself here every evening until I feel that you have learned enough to be trusted back in a Potion's lab! During normal class time you will not participate with the rest of the class, instead you will sit at the desk in front of my desk and read chapters I will assign you. I will expect clear and detailed summaries of each chapter. You will not be allowed to brew anything until you have grasped all the theory. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir" Harry spat out. He could not believe that Snape was being this unfair! He didn't know if he would be able to live down the embarrassment. The whole school would know that he had been effectively kicked out of Potions. How had he even considered trusting Snape with anything? Obviously Snape just wanted to abuse his powers and make sure that Harry was as miserable as possible.

* * *

The boy was glaring at him across the desk as if he had been grievously wronged. Those green eyes that made him think of Lily were glistening angrily and the rage they expressed was palpable. Why couldn't the boy have inherited his fathers boring brown eyes? Every time the boy turned his eyes on him memory's of Lily surfaced. It was like a never ending torture designed just for him.

How the boy could feel wronged was beyond him. Snape didn't even want to analyze the situation anymore. He had decreed a punishment and now he wanted to quickly move on to another subject lest he explode from anger. His self control was slipping dangerously as it was and he knew if he didn't calm down he would do something he would regret.

"Tell me Potter, why werent you eating a proper lunch? Did I not clearly explain to you how much you were supposed to eat? Or was to hard to follow directions for more than one meal?"

The boy exploded with anger. "I couldn't eat while Ron was there! He would have told Hermione and then she would probably have told Dumbledore! You seem to think that i'm stupid or something, but I'm not!"

"Mr. Potter you might want to explain to me exactly why you think that you can't eat infront of your friend's and why Dumbledore is apparently in league with them. Please do this in a way that normal people can understand."

"Hermione and Ron both tried to make me eat less this morning!" Potter shouted angrily. "They said that Wizards gain weight easier than Muggles since our magic makes our metabolism go slower. They are obvious in league with Dumbledore trying to keep me weak!"

The boy was breathing hard after his announcement and glaring at Snape.

Snape for once was caught speechless. The boys friends had betrayed him to Dumbledore? He would have to contemplate the implications of this. Many different scenarios were spinning in his head. He would have to sit down and consider this carefully. Perhaps there was much more than met the eye. If Potters two friends had had Dumbledore's help in their schemes it was no wonder that they had managed to accomplish so many feats. Maybe he could try to fish for some information from Dumbledore. It would have to be done very carefully, he could not let Dumbledore suspect that he was onto him in any way. Snape had no doubt that Dumbledore would not even hesitate before sending him to Azkaban if Snape stepped too far out of line.

So Potter had no friends. As harsh as that was Snape refused to pity the boy. Potter should have realised faster that Granger and Weasley weren't his friends. If Potter had more cunning he probably would have figured it out as soon as his two friends turned against him. Snape had not had any friends while at Hogwarts. It had been lonely but his grades had always been good because of no pressure from others to waste time in frivolous pursuits. He refused to pity the boy. This might be just what the boy needed to get him motivated to study and train. He would have to plan something to make Weasley and Granger dislike Potter. At least then it would be fair to the Potter brat. Not that he cared.

"We will have to treat carefully when it comes to Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger. I'm sure we can come up with something that would distance them from you. If they are monitoring your meals that could be a problem, thankfully we have a easy solution to that. Your detention's will be moved up to straight after class. That way you will have a cover story for skipping dinner. You will tell your friends and any other of your Gryffindor fanclub that you aren't getting any dinner. Doing this will make them not question you eating a huge lunch and breakfast. Of Course I will be providing you with meals when you come to detentions."

The boy looked slightly appeased. Snape found himself asking why he even cared about how the boy felt. Potter would do as he was told or he would suffer his wrath.

"Your acting skills leave something to be desired Potter so we will have to devise some plan for you to permanently fall out with your friends."

At this statement Potters face took on a very guilty look. The boy clearly couldn't keep his emotions from showing on his face. Snape's heart sank as he wondered how the brat had already managed to disrupt his plans. Snape raised an eyebrow waiting for Potter to spit it out, he didn't have to wait long.

"Hermione's not talking to me, I told her that I wasn't going to stop myself from answering questions anymore in class and doing my homework well just so that she could shine."

The boy looked positively sick as he said this all very quickly. Clearly he thought Snape was going to jump on him and berate him. He didn't want to disappoint the boy's expectations but the fact that the golden trio were breaking up by themselves already was very good. He had however to make sure that he acted normally. Obviously the boy wasn't even capable of following those simple instructions if he made such drastic alterations within one day.

"Well Mr. Potter I am surprised that you actually made such a statement to Miss Granger as you are clearly not anywhere near her level of academic achievement. If your Potion marks are anything to go from you will be spending all your time in the library."

The boy grinned.

"But Professor, you don't actually think I'm as abysmal at every subject do you? I actually pay attention in all of the other classes. You'd be surprised how much I know about all of the other subjects. Some are simply worth more effort than others."

The arrogant brat! Oh he would make sure that the boy suffered during his detentions. By the time Snape was done with him the boy would be a walking encyclopedia of Potion knowledge! The boy would rue the day he thought he could joke about Snape and get away with it!

* * *

Harry didn't know why he was baiting Snape. Maybe the cake Snape had given him was laced with some kind of potion? He was pretty sure that Snape would have no problems whatsoever slipping something in his food.

Harry had to admit that the solution that Snape had come up with in regards to his meals was ingenious. He just wished that it did not include spending so much time with Snape. He wondered what Snape would come up with once he was out of his detentions. Not that they were fair in the first place! However Harry was pretty confident in his ability to study and learn the material relatively quickly. Harry had never put any effort into potions but that did not mean that he was stupid. He had done it partially to slight Snape by demonstrating his uninterest in the subject. Being several years older now Harry could see that this might not have been the best route to take. Well he was going to rectify it now and maybe he could convince Snape to cut his detentions short.

Snape seemed to find his declaration of competence funny. He obviously didn't believe that Harry was capable at all. Well he would be as shocked as everyone else then. Harry had no second thoughts when it came to showing everyone what he could do. He wouldn't let other people dictate his actions anymore. The fact that Snape would be as shocked as everyone else was just a bonus really.

He was itching to ask Snape some questions about his under developed magic. Snape was glaring at him, probably still upset from his previous comment. Harry wondered if he would be able to get away with asking a few questions. Aunt Petunia hated it when you asked questions.

"Professor Snape" Harry started, trying to sound as respectful as possible. "Is there anyway to reverse some of the damage that has been done to my damage and health? I'm very short from my age..."

"Yes Potter there is, however if I were you id be more worried about my magic then my height. You need your magic to be strong, otherwise you will be easy prey for The Dark Lord. There are potions that you will start taking to increase the effectiveness of nutrients consumed. This potion can only function properly if you eat decent meals. If you eat too little the potion will not be effective and in some cases may make you quite ill. The potion works by magically concentrating the nutrients you consume. You will experience several growth spurts as the potion tries to fix the damage done to you."

A great surge of relief spread through Harry as Snape finished speaking. He would grow. He would not remain at a measly 5"2. All of the girls were taller than him currently! He knew that he should be more relieved about his magic, but his short stature had always bothered him. He had been bullied all through school for it, so now when he had the opportunity to grow taller he was ecstatic. Sure he wanted his magic to fix itself but somehow he had gotten by until now on crippled magic.

Harry told himself that he would put up with everything that Snape through at him as long as he supplied him with the potion. As if Snape had heard his silent promise a potion vial filled with a electric blue potion appeared in front of him.

"This potion is called The Rejuvenation Potion. It is fairly simple to make the standard version, however the version in front of you is one of my own make that is extremely potent. You will take it every evening after you have finished your dinner. This is so that the potion may utilize all of the nutrients you consumed during dinner. You must make sure that you eat decently at breakfast and lunch. If for some reason you are unable to do this you must inform me so I can dilute the potion. Failure to inform me will only cause you to find yourself emptying the contents of your stomach for a very long time. I will be most displeased if I have to clean up your vomit from my floor. You may not mention the potion to anyone. This potion is not even available on the market as I have yet to publish and patent it and I want to keep it that way. If you slipped up and told anyone about the potion I would have to patent it quickly. If I am forced to do this because of you I will be extremely happy. Detention for the rest of your life unhappy. Do you understand?

"Yes sir I understand, thank you for helping me with with this. I do really appreciate it."

"Just prove to me that you deserve it Potter. I will give it to you regardless but if you want my respect you will have to show me that you arent the imbecile that I think you are."

Harry nodded mutely. He wasn't even sure if he wanted Snape's respect, but the fact that Snape was willing to change his opinion of Harry actually meant a lot to him. If Snape was able to make an effort to get over their past, Harry should be able to do the same.

Harry snapped out of his musings as he heard Snape's chair scratch against the floor. Snape stood up and moved towards one of the shelves behind his desk. He quickly scanned the volumes on one of the shelves before selecting one of them. He placed the volume in front of Harry hesitantly as if he was unsure if what he was doing was correct.

"Mr. Potter the book in front of you is a book that holds information on Occlumency. There are several reasons why I have not given it to you before now. One of the reasons being that it is a Dark Arts book."

Harry stared wearily at the book. Dark Arts? Why was Snape giving him this book to read. Surely even if it had information on Occlumency it would be too dangerous to just hand out to students. Was Snape trying to corrupt him or turn him Dark?

* * *

Snape could see the dark accusing look that passed over the boys face. He sighed inwardly. He had known that the boy would instantly see the worst case scenarios in regards to the book. If Snape didn't reassure him quickly the boys theories would get more and more wild.

"Potter you imbecile! Wipe that look off your face and listen to me. I did not give you that book to turn you to the dark side or teach you Dark magic. The reason I have given you that book to read is quite simple. It is one of the only book that mentions Occlumency. As it stands Occlumency is considered Dark magic and you will not find any information on it from any books that would be considered neutral or light. The book I have given you is the least 'Dark' of all of the ones I have in my possession. However that does not mean that you are allowed to read anything else in it. You will read the Occlumency part and that is it. If I ever find out that you have read any other parts of that book I will personally escort you to the Headmaster's office."

The boy swallowed sharply and nodded his head in consent. Snape was relieved that the boy had accepted his explanation so readily. Two days ago the boy would not have done so. Snape hoped that Potter would have the common sense not to go traipsing around the school with that book in toe. He would refrain from mentioning it to the boy, it was past time the boy learned to use his brain.

"The part about Occlumency can be found on page 673. Start reading it as soon as possible. We will have an Occlumency season on Tuesday during your detention. I want you to have read atleast 5 chapters before then. For now you may go, do not forget to bring your previous potion books with you to detention tomorrow. Straight after class."

The boy quickly nodded and headed towards the door.

"Oh and Potter, make sure you clear your mind before sleeping. If you dont I will know."

The boy sighed and quickly said "yes sir, goodnight".

Snape didn't design to reply.

* * *

Thats it for this chapter. The next chapter will be up within the next week or so. Do you guys think Snape was harsh enough with Harry or is he to soft? Let me know what you guys think! Review please! :)


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